She wasn’t sure if this aligned with God’s standards. Well then, who should deliver this news to Benjamin?

Marian’s lips moved slightly.

“……Kesis Katra.”

Abel narrowed his eyes.

“I heard he went missing recently. So it was your doing.”

He thought it strange that Marian had seemingly let it go after what happened to Rosette. She had paid him back in kind.

Marian nodded and released the magical field. Finding Kesis, who was surrounded by magic, wasn’t a difficult task. And driving Kesis, who was detected by the magical field, to death wasn’t either.

‘In a city like this, a rat might be better than a snake.’

Casting magic again on someone who has already been enchanted isn’t difficult.

Marian snapped her fingers. The figure hiding in the darkness changed…… into a snow-white mouse. Marian smiled coldly.

Marian cast one more spell on Kesis. After Kesis died, everything would begin.

Abel felt her magical field spreading with pleasure. Marian’s magic was intensely thrilling. It felt like it was awakening every nerve in his body. Abel let out a suppressed moan through his clenched teeth.

It was an ecstatic moment that only mages could feel.

A solemn feeling as if all the magic in this world bowed to Marian. Abel also felt subordinate to Marian.

Abel unconsciously smiled and kissed Marian’s fingers.

“Well done.”

Marian opened her eyes at Abel’s words.

“What……?”

“I said well done.”

Abel would have known what Marian had just done. And he would have realized what had become of the missing Kesis. Marian didn’t particularly try to hide it from him.

But well done?

Marian stared at Abel with a confused face.

“Do you really mean well done? I just turned a person into a mouse.”

“That bastard is more suited to living as a mouse than a human, Marian. You’ve found the form that suits him best.”

“……I don’t have the right to judge him yet.”

She wasn’t the Emperor, nor had he gone through a formal trial. Marian had judged Kesis as a criminal and punished him based on her personal judgment.

Fortunately, it seemed to align with God’s standards as well, as Marian faced no sanctions.

Abel gently embraced Marian, his thick arms wrapping around her. He pressed his forehead against hers, his languid breath seeping into her. Abel chuckled softly.

“You worry about strange things, Marian. Everything you do is righteous and the law I should follow. Are you afraid?”

Marian exhaled slowly.

It would be a lie to say she wasn’t scared. Both the nightmares that ruled her nights and the collar around her neck that ruled her days were frightening. It seemed like they would seize any opportunity to kill her. The things that remained, that wouldn’t erase no matter how much she rubbed, were terrible.

“Then you just need to command me.”

“……Command?”

“Yes. I’ll eliminate everything that frightens you. I’ll erase from this world those who anger you, in your place.”

His tone was affectionate, but the meaning it contained was not. Abel stroked Marian’s hair. His lips rubbed against her earlobe. His hot breath once again languidly melted her soul.

Marian trembled slightly.

When nestled in this broad embrace that completely consumed her, she sometimes had the absurd illusion that everything would be alright. Even knowing that this comfort was a lie deceiving her, Marian was becoming addicted to it.

She whispered in a faint voice.

“Tell me I’m right.”

“You’re right, Marian.”

“Tell me nothing will happen.”

“Nothing will happen to you.”

Abel’s long fingers delicately brushed aside her hair. The small ear revealed was so lovely he wanted to devour it. His sunset-colored pupils flashed. The eyes of a predator who would never let go of what he had captured.

Abel kissed her forehead.

“Tell me they deserve to die……”

“They should have been torn apart and killed.”

Strength drained from Marian’s body.

She completely entrusted herself to Abel’s embrace, sincerely praying that Kesis’s death would not become someone’s sorrow.

**

Meanwhile, Vanessa.

Vanessa glared at the doctor irritably.

“How long do I have to be careful?”

“Miss Vanessa. A baby is a very sensitive being. Having s*xual intercourse at this stage could threaten the baby. You need to be careful for at least three months.”

The old doctor gently appeased her.

“This period greatly influences the baby’s development. Depending on what Miss Vanessa does, the baby could become intelligent, strong, or stupid.”

Vanessa pouted her lips. A stupid baby wouldn’t do. This baby was destined to become the Duke of Madrian. She patted her lower abdomen.

Moreover, her mother had taught Vanessa a truth of life.

That what matters isn’t a man’s fidelity or love. That what would protect Vanessa in the future would be this child who would become the Duke of Madrian, not Cesare.

‘Mother is right.’

Vanessa forcibly suppressed her twisted jealousy.

She couldn’t help but feel anxious.

Cesare was a man with strong s*xual desires. He was also a lecher who couldn’t sleep even a single day without a woman. What if another woman slipped in while she was pregnant?

For example, Princess Marian, or that maid called Ellie.

‘No. That maid hasn’t appeared for a while.’

Besides, the Ellies in the capital would soon be extinct.

Vanessa, who let out a deep sigh, asked quietly.

“So depending on what I do during this period, this baby could become a boy?”

“Yes, Miss. This is a secret remedy passed down from the Kanta tribe—if you drink the fresh blood of a male deer at dawn, even a female baby will change into a male baby.”

“……Fresh blood?”

Vanessa’s expression twisted.

“The young madam ordered us to catch the strongest male deer and collect its blood. It should arrive today or tomorrow at the latest.”

“Do I only need to drink it once?”

The old doctor shook his head.

His cloudy eyes beneath wrinkled eyelids gleamed.

“You need to drink it for at least a month. But the effect is guaranteed. The young madam gave up halfway, which is why she gave birth to you as a daughter. And the elder madam gave birth to three sons using that method.”

“It sounds disgusting just hearing about it.”

“You must endure for the sake of the child.”

“……How annoying. Why must I be the only one to endure and sacrifice everything?”

While the old doctor was comforting the complaining Vanessa, Cesare arrived.

Vanessa, who had been lying comfortably, jumped up. A faint smile spread across her face, which had been full of irritation.

“Cesare!”

Vanessa smiled brightly.

“What brings you here without notice?”

The old doctor tactfully withdrew. Cesare briefly kissed various parts of Vanessa’s face after a long time. She giggled pleasantly. The anxiety she had felt while talking with the old doctor completely disappeared. Cesare lay down on the bed, embracing her.

“The baby, we must be careful of the baby!”

Vanessa scolded Cesare.

“Is an unborn baby already more important than me?”

“It’s important because it’s your baby, Cesare. How beautiful would it be if it resembled you?”

He laughed pleasantly.

“But what brings you here, Cesare? You said you’d be busy during the fighting tournament. Has the tournament already ended without my knowing?”

“Of course not.”

The main competition had just begun. Although the championship candidates were being selected through intense and fierce combat, it would last at least ten days.

“Then why? Ah, you missed me?”

“That too.”

Cesare gently bit the bridge of her nose. The good thing about Vanessa was that she only said pleasant things. Cesare continued speaking while holding her tightly against his body.

“I also have something to tell you.”

“Something to tell me?”

“Viscount Bochetti has started a rebellion. Everyone is keeping quiet about it, but it’s true.”

“Oh my.”

Vanessa fluttered her eyes with an expression that showed no sense of reality. Hunger or cold had nothing to do with her. And neither did rebellion or war.

What Vanessa knew were things like the power struggles and jealousy that occurred in a greenhouse.

“Why would he do such a thing in these peaceful times? How foolish.”

Cesare let out a small laugh.

Vanessa was the very embodiment of a naive noble lady. That made her lovable in some ways, but her stupidity was unavoidable.

“So I’ll be going there.”

“Will you be suppressing the rebellion, Cesare?”

“It’s a good opportunity. The Madrian ducal family can become heroes of the empire. It shouldn’t be too difficult. You need to stay well with the child until I return, Vanessa.”

“You must come back quickly.”

Vanessa said as if making a fuss.

“I feel bored and anxious without you.”

“I promise. I’ll return as quickly as possible to be by your side.”

Vanessa nodded. The fact that he had come to see her before undertaking such an important task elevated her mood. This was definitely a special treatment. Neither Princess Marian nor Ellie would have received such treatment.

Her mother had been absolutely right.

The baby, though not yet born, was already making Vanessa special. Because of the baby, she had become special to Cesare as well.

**

At that time, the King of Jains was also just unpacking his luggage.

He had wanted to arrive earlier than the start of the main competition, but there was a reason for the delay. He had discovered that Helena had disappeared.

“Shameless bastard.”

The King of Jains gripped his glass. His beard trembled. His heart pounded with anger. Despite reasoning so much with Helena, this had still happened. He prepared only the best for her, but she kicked it all away and fled.